The Ohio State rugby team is loaded with all-american potential. Nine OSU rugby players were chosen to compete on the Ohio Select rugby team in Saturday’s Midwest Rugby Football Union Tournament at Purdue University.Freshman Adam Cronin, sophomores Jason Leavens – the team captain – Chris Schilling, Jake Schubert and Kevin Scipione, juniors Aaron Ballenger and Jeff McClellan and senior Brett Taylor joined other standout rugby players to compete in the Midwest Union. OSU senior Eddie Sedlock was one of the nine selected players, but was unable to attend due to military obligations.The squad won both of its matches, topping the Minnesota Selects and then beating the Chicago Area Football Union. The tournament is the first step to making it to the U.S. National Team.The players at the Midwest tournament are scouted by coaches from the Midwest Select Team. Players who make the Midwest Team play in the Inner Territory Test tournament, where players are selected to compete for a spot on the U.S. National Team.Selections for the Midwest Select team will be announced periodically over the next two weeks.In 1997 Sedlock and Leavens both made the Midwest Select team. Leavens was invited to try out for the U.S. National team, but declined in favor of playing for the U.S. 19-and-Under team. “Leavens is a lock for all-american this year,” Ballanger said. This year’s top contenders for all-america honors are Sedlock, Leavens and Ballanger, who scored two tries against Chicago on Saturday. Of the nine OSU players on the Ohio Select Team, seven are underclassmen ‹ one is a freshman, four are sophomores, and two are juniors. What does that say about the future of OSU rugby? It looks pretty bright. This season the Bucks beat Penn State, who was ranked No. 2 at the time, Air Force, who was ranked No. 5 at the time, and advanced to collegiate rugby’s Sweet 16.The squad, which will lose only three members to graduation before next season, will be in serious contention for a national championship next year, Leavens said.Adam Cronin, a freshman from Australia, will be a pillar for the squad for the next few years. As the only freshman from OSU to make the Ohio Selects, he promises to be a building block in OSU’s quest for a championship.Cronin played rugby in Australia where the sport is much larger and the level of play is typically higher.”I was surprised by the level of play at Ohio State,” Cronin said. “We have a lot of talent and next year we’ll have a really strong team.”